For 15 seasons, Judge Joe Brown’s court kept law and order on daytime television.  His clean cut, down home approach had zero tolerance for thugs and low lifes.  After decades holding court both on and off television, Judge Joe has retired and a video you’re about to see is quite the change from his clean cut image.

Judge Joe Brown was born in 1947 and is a retired Shelby County, Tennessee judge.  After years of holding court, he was thrown into the national spotlight after presiding over James Earl Ray’s last appeal in the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.  He was removed from the case after making comments about the murder weapon to a local congresswoman.  It was then; he caught the eye of producers of the hottest court show on television, Judge Judy.

http://youtu.be/z-xEgySJiUg

Judy’s producers noticed the unique way Joe operated his court room. He would listen intently for the facts of the case, picking up on subtitle facts, facial expressions, and mannerisms from the litigants.  Once he was sure he found the guilty party, he would zero in with his down home, no-nonsense approach, and often try to instruct them on where they’ve gone wrong and what to do to put economy in the community instead of being, what he would often say, “a damn fool.”

Judge Joe Brown’s television series was launched as a companion show to Judge Judy on September 14, 1998.  His main tagline: “protecting womanhood and promoting manhood.”  The show was a ratings success and was recorded in the same studio, with a set located directly behind the back wall of Judge Judy’s, at the Sunset-Bronson Studios in Hollywood.

While Judge Joe scored moderate ratings in daytime syndicated television, during the 15^th season, his ratings took a slide, and he was informed by CBS, the show’s distribution company, that he would be taking a pay cut.  (He was the second highest paid TV judge, earning $20 million per year.)

Judge Joe was not satisfied with this (and reported pay cut down to $5 million per year) and his show was cancelled in spring 2012, with new episodes airing until June and reruns until September.

Since leaving TV, it looks like Judge Joe has been living the good life and enjoying his much deserved retirement.  But, in the day of cell phone cameras, people still know his as a celebrity and a video that’s turned up on YouTube, shows a much different version of the clean cut Judge.

Take a look at him having one too many double Bombay Sapphires resulting in some slurred speech, posing for photos with women, and having a few foul mouth words about his former TV show.  Note: Viewer discretion advised.

http://youtu.be/QCyHSEj0W94

Is Judge Joe done being on television.  “I don’t do that bullshit, anymore…” seems to answer that question.

THE 411

Who: Judge Joe Brown

What: former television judge

Number of seasons on television: 15

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

As long as he’s not getting behind the wheel drinking and driving, let him enjoy his retirement.  Everyone loses control when they’ve had a few too many (I’m not judging), just most of us are not on national television.  Video like that is gold to the paparazzi.  But hey, Judge Joe Brown is retired and doesn’t seem to care!

I also got a laugh at this parody of the Judge Joe video: